Gage handle



July 9, 1963 s. H. CHAFFEE 3,096,589

GAGE HANDLE Filed July 10, 1961 I Flt.

INV EN TOR.

Syd/w H Cle ee BY +7204! a "t t 0871675 United States Patent 3,096,589GAGE HANDLE Sydney H. Chaffee, Greenfield, Mass, assignor to United-Greenfield Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware FiledJuly 10, 1961, Ser. No. 122,806 2 Claims. (Cl. 33-178) This inventionrelates to handles for gages and more particularly to gage handles forplug type gages.

Handles used for plug gages are generally in the form of rods. Rodshaped gage handles may be double-ended,

such as taper lock or American gage design, to enable gages to be fittedin both ends. A go gage may be fitted to extend from one end of thehandle and a not go gage fitted to extend in the opposite direct-ionfrom the other end of the handle. In order to use both gages, the handlemust be completely reversed, rotated 180, to shift from gaging with onegage to the other. Such extensive manipulation is not only undesirablefrom the standpoint of operational efficiency, but also increases theprobability of accidental gage damage caused by dropping and the like.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide gage handleswhich facilitate shifting irom one gage to the other in go and not gogaging, thereby minimizing the amount of gage manipulation required bythe user.

An inherent drawback of the rod type gage handle is that its crosssectional configuration provides a relatively small surface areaengageable with a supporting surface. As a result gages carried byrod-shaped handles are relatively prone to damage by being dislodged orknocked from supporting platforms, such as Work tables or benches.

It is another object of this invention to provide a gage handleconstruction which is not only easy to use but which also providesmaximum security against accidental gage damage.

The above and other objects and advantages of this invention will bemore readily apparent from the following description and with referenceto the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a gage handle embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a modified form of gage handle embodying theinvention; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line *L-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring in detail to the drawing, a gage handle embodying thisinvention is shown generally at 6 in FIGS. 1 and 2. The handle is in theform of a disk having generally planar and parallel upper and lowersurfaces. The height or thickness a of the disk is substantially lessthan its diameter. As shown, the height a is not less than the maximumdiameter of the gages to be carried thereby. This relationship providesa handle having a high degree of stability. Moreover, the gages heldthereby are supported clear of an underlying surface so as to avoid anypossible damage to the precision surfaces of the gages. The upper andlower surfaces of the disk may be ribbed as shown at 9 for improvedgripping. The disk is provided with radially extending bores )10 and 12which extend normal to the axis of the disk and diametricallytherethrough.

The bores 10 and '12 are disposed relative to one another at an acuteangle b so that go and not go gages 1-4 and 16 respectively extendradially from the periphcry of the handle at an *acute angle to eachother which facilitates manipulation of the handle in changing from theuse of one gage to the other gage.

As shown, the gages 1-4 and 16 are reversible plug type gages and aredisposed in the bores 10 and 12. The not go gage 16 is inserted moredeeply into the bore 10 so that the user can tell at a glance which isthe go and which is the not go gage by the relative lengths of the gagesextending from the handle. The acute angle b is sufficient to enable thefull length of the go gage to be inserted in the member to be gagedwithout inter-ference from the not go member.

The disk which forms the gage handle 6 is provided with a segmental slot18 forming spaced opposed wall portions 20 and 22 in which the bores 10and 12 provide opposed channels 24 and 26 of cylindrical configuration.A clamping screw 28 is disposed adjacent the periphery of the disk andprovides means for clamping and releasing the reversible plug gages. Thehandle may be made of any suitable resiliently flexible material so thatwhen the screw 28 is turned down the channels 24 and 26 firmly clamp andhold the gages in place in the handle. When the screw is backed off, thegages may be easily removed from the handle.

When the work-ing ends of the gages become worn, the screw may bereleased and the gages removed from the bores 10 and 12 and reversed inend-to-end relation and reinserted in the bores. The clamping screw 28may again be tightened to firmly lock the gages in place in the handle.The bores 10 and 12 extend completely through the disk so that the gagescan be easily removed from the handle by insertion of a suitable tool inthe open ends of the bores.

The gage handle shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is provided for taper lock typegages. The handle 30 is in the form of a disk similar to the onedescribed above. Radially extending bores 32 and 34 are provided throughthe disk normal to its axis. The bores are tapered to snugly receive thetapered shank of the"go and not go gage members, such as shown at 36 and38. The bores are disposed at an acute angle to each other and extendentirely through the disk so that the gages can be pushed out of thebores when their removal is desired for any reason. Thus, a worn gagemay be readily replaced and the handle reused. The acute angle betweenthe bores 32 and 34 is selected to enable the go gage to besubstantially fully inserted, or engaged with, the bore of the part tobe gaged.

The relatively large generally parallel planar upper and lower surfacesof handles embodying this invention minimize the danger of the handlesslipping or rolling from a supporting table. Opposite surfaces of thedisks may be provided with ribs or grooves such as shown at 40, the ribsproviding gripping surfaces for the gage handle. While the gage handlesshown herein are of circul-ar shape, it will, of course, be appreciatedthat their periphery could be of any other suitable configuration, suchas oval or polygonal.

Handles for receiving taper lock type gages may not be greater in heightthan the maximum diameter of the gages and may, in some instances, besmaller than the gage diameter. Of course, the handle must be ofsufiicient size to accommodate the tapered bores.

Gage handles constructed in accordance with this invention have a highdegree of stability for securely holding plug type gages. Moreover,handles embodying the invention provide for maximum gaging efliciencywith minimum gage manipulation.

What is claimed is:

1. Handle for receiving reversible plug type gages comprising a diskhaving generally planar, parallel upper and lower surfaces, said diskhaving a height not less 3,096,589 3 4 than the maximum diameter of thegages to be carried 2. Handle for reversible plug type gages as setforth thereby, said disk being provided with a segmental slot in claim 1in which said height is substantially less than forming spaced opposedwalls, bores extending radially the diameter of said disk. through saiddisk at an acute angle With each other and providing in said opposedWalls spaced opposed chan- 5 References Cited m the file of thls patentnels configured to receive said gages, said disk being UNITED STATESPATENTS formed of a resiliently flexible material, and clamping1,113,371 Pajeau Oct. 13, 1914 means for releasably clamping saidchannels on said 1,155,035 Bostwick Sept. 28, 1915 gages. 2,495,789Twells Jan. 31, 1950

1. HANDLE FOR RECEIVING REVERSIBLE PLUG TYPE GAGES COMPRISING A DISKHAVING GENERALLY PLANAR, PARALLEL UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES, SAID DISKHAVING A HEIGHT NOT LESS THAN THE MAXIMUM DIAMETER OF THE GAGES TO BECARRIED THEREBY, SAID DISK BEING PROVIDED WITH A SEGMENTAL SLOT FORMINGSPACED OPPOSED WALLS, BORES EXTENDING RADIALLY THROUGH SAID DISK AT ANACUTE ANGLE WITH EACH OTHER AND